Football game



June 14, 1938. I w, JAMISON 2,120,439

FOOTBALL GAME Original Filed July 14, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet l June 14, 1938. w. F. JAMISON 2,120,439

FOOTBALL GAME v j I Original Filed July l4, 1956 2- Sheets-Sheet 2' m 5M5 W Patented June 14, 1938 UNITED STATES FOOTBALL GAME William F. Jamison, Santa Monica, Calif.

Application July 14,

1936, Serial No. 90,518

Renewed November 23, 1937 1 Claim.

This invention relates to a game apparatus, and While the apparatus may be constructed and adapted for playing different games, the present specification describes a construction adapting 5 the game for playing football.

The general object of the invention is to produce a game apparatus of simple construction, having means for enabling the contesting players to select the play which is to be made, and to provide means for indicating a result from such a play.

One of the objects of the game is to provide apparatus of this kind, including a gameboard simulating a football field, and in which the different plays made by the player will not only control the advance of the ball down the field toward the goal, but will also indicate transverse positions for the ball on the field; that is to say, ball positions which are located more or less out of line with the center of the field, and toward the side lines.

In its general construction the game includes a selector device, or drum, which the player operates to select a certain play. Corresponding to each selected play, there is provided a set of result indications, which can follow from the selected play; and one of the objects of the invention is to provide a game apparatus embodying these features in which the success of a player will depend considerably upon his skill and knowledge of the game of football.

A further object of the invention is to provide simple means associated with the board, to facilitate the locating of the ball in accordance with indications determined by the result-device, or

result-drum.

Further objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel parts and combination of parts to be described hereinafter, all of which contribute to produce an eficient football game.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is described in the following specification, while the broad scope of the invention is pointed out in the appended claim.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a plan of the game apparatus embodying this invention for playing football.

Fig. 2 is a View similar to Fig. 1, but broken away and showing portions of the casing and inner mechanism in elevation, or in section.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken about on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2. This view indicates the parts in a position of rest.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, but showing parts in the relation they have when the device is being spun or actuated to determine the result of a play.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a portion of the selector device, together with the corresponding set of result indications corresponding to the selected play. In this view outer portions of the apparatus are broken away.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view, and is a developed plan of a portion of an outer drum that carries a plurality of windows for indicating the result of a selected play.

Referring more particularly to the parts, I indicates a substantially cylindrical casing, which is secured on a frame 2 carrying a board 3, the surface of which is provided with division. lines so that it simulates a football field 4. The casing I extends longitudinally of the field at the edge of the board, and is preferably provided on its forward side; that is to say, the side toward the board with an observation window 5. At one end, and preferably in line with the observation window 5, a selector opening, or window 6, is provided in the casing. This latter window 6 is in line with a selector device I that is preferably in the form of a drum, and the surface of this drum 1 is divided into a plurality of zones, or cards 8, carrying legends 9 such as the legend Forward Pass, (see Fig. 5). This selector drum 1 is rigidly mounted on a shaft l0 that extends longitudinally through the casing, and can be rotated from either end by a thumb head ll. Also rigid on the shaft I0, there is mounted a result indicator preferably in the form of a result-drum I2, and the superficial zones of this result-drum are divided into sets l3 of result indications, including a plu- 1 rality of boxes or"c'ards I4, each of which indicates a different result that may occur following a forward pass. For example, as indicated in Fig. 5, the card at the extreme left carries the legend +7, indicating a gain of seven yards resulting from the forward pass. Other indications on the different cards in this set should include intercepted passes, or other results, preferably by means of symbols.

The selector drum 1 is provided with means for holding it yieldingly in different positions, so that the different cards 8 on the selector drum can register with the selector window 6. Any suitable means may be employed for this purpose. In the present instance, I have illustrated a springpressed finger, or pawl 15 (see Fig. 2) which may engage any one of a plurality of notches l6 formed around a slightly projecting flange on the drum I. When the pawl l5 is holding a card 8 in register with the window 3, then the corresponding set l3 of result indications will also register with the window 5 in the casing.

The cards preferably carry pictures showing players in different active positions, (see Fig. 5).

Associated with the result-drum, I provide a chance device for selecting any one of the result indications M of the set l3 corresponding to a certain selected play. This chance device preferably consists of a screen in the form of an outer drum ll that is loose on the shaft l and provided with a plurality of windows such as the result window l8 (see Fig. 1). In playing the game, this drum l'l operates as a screen to hide most of the surface of the inner drum, and also as a spinner, that is to say, it is spun so as to revolve rapidly on the shaft; and the player who has spun the drum, at will stops its rotation and brings it to rest; and in every position of rest a certain one of the windows 18 will be in register with a certain result card l4 of one of the sets of results corresponding to the selected play displayed at the window 6. These windows l8 are formed at random, or with a staggered relation around the superficial area of the drum l2.

Any suitable means may be employed for spinning the outer drum IT. For this purpose I prefer to employ a kicker lever l 9 (see Figs. 3 and 4) which lever is pivotally supported on a fixed bolt or screw 23 on an end wall 2i of the frame of the device. This kicker lever, or pawl I9, is attached to a link 22, the other end of which is attached to an arm or lever 23 rigid with a small shaft 24 mounted in the frame of the device and provided with a thumb head 25 at each end of the board for controlling the spinning of the outer drum ll. The end of the arm 23 is pivotally attached to a link 26, the end of which is attached to a long coil spring 21 and anchored on a hook 28 attached on the front bar 29 of the frame of the device. The end of the kicker lever H! has a horizontally projecting finger 29a that engages between the teeth or points 33 of a star-wheel 3| rigidly attached to the outer drum 11. Fig. 4 shows these parts in the relation which they have when a player has just spun the drum ll through the agency of the kicker lever l9 and the starwheel 3|. At this time the spring 21, which has suddenly pulled the kicker lever 19 over from its position of rest, holds the shoulder 32 on the link 26 up against a resilient block or cushion 33 that is secured on the frame. When the player desires to stop the rotation of the drum ll, he accomplishes this by rotating either of the heads 25 in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 4. This will bring the lever 23 into an elevated position on dead center, so that in this position of the lever 23 the spring 21 is held in tension, but it cannot operate the kicker lever 19 because it is on dead center. Hence when the player desires to spin the drum he simply rotates one of the thumb heads 25 in an anti-clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 3, sufficiently to get the crank 23 off of dead center, and immediately when this occurs the spring 2'! will pull the lever 23 to the position shown in Fig. 4, thereby causing the finger 29a to give a kick to the star-wheel 3| and cause rotation of the drum. In order to enable the link 23 to follow the crank 23 into the dead center position, the upper edge of the link 26 is preferably cut away to form a recess or notch 34. This notch gives clearance for the shaft 24.

In the set position of the spinner mechanism illustrated in Fig. 3, the under side of the board 35 operates as a stop operating to hold the arm or lever 23 on dead center.

It should be understood that the star-wheel 3| has the same number of points as there are cards 8 corresponding to different plays that can be selected.

After a play has been made and the window drum li arrested in a certain position, for example, as indicated in Fig. 1, the result of the play is indicated through the window and the position of this window H3 in the long observation window determines the position of the ball on the football field 4. In order to accomplish this, I prefer to provide the lower edge of the observation window 5 with a zone scale 36. This scale is divided into equal spaces. In the present instance they are numbered consecutively 1 to 8. The number of zones preferably corresponds to the number of cards upon the result drum, and are the same in number as transverse zones formed by longitudinal division lines 31 on the football field 4, which lines divide the field into transverse zones numbered 1 to 8, and corresponding to the number of cards on the result drum and to the scale 36. Hence in playing the game the result indicated in Fig. 1 would give an advance of five yards of the ball to the player having the ball in his possession, and should place the ball in the zone 3.

In order to follow the play on the board, I prefer to provide a small die 38. This die may simply rest on the board, but for convenience in changing its position, I prefer to mount it to slide on a long bar 33 extending longitudinally of the board, and the ends of this bar are attached to long sleeves 40 that slide freely on transverse guide bars 4| at the ends of the board where the goal posts are supposed to be located.

The football field is, of course, provided with transverse division lines 42 numbered consecutively by increments of five yards from the goal lines 43, which are indicated by the letter G on the board.

The outer surface of the outer drum H is preferably provided with small figures representing scrimmages, or groups of players in different active positions during the play of the ball.

A line marker 44 may be provided (see Fig. 1) mounted to slide on a fixed bar 45 extending longitudinally of the field.

It is understood that the embodiment of the invention described herein is only one of the many embodiments this invention may take, and I do not wish to be limited in the practice of the invention, nor in the claim, to the particular embodiment set forth.

What I claim is:

In a game apparatus for playing a football game, the combination of a substantially cylindrical casing having a longitudinally extending window therein with a zone scale extending longitudinally with said window, a selector drum and a result drum mounted for rotation at will within the said casing, said selector drum having means on the periphery thereof for indicating different plays to be selected by the player, said result drum having a plurality of sets of means for indicating results of a play including losses or gains for the player, means for yieldingly holding the selector drum and the result drum in different positions so that the indicating means for the results of diiferent plays register with the said window in the casing, an outer drum rotatably supported in said casing and enveloping the result drum and having a plurality of windows therein for registering with the different result indicating means on the result drum, means for spinning the outer drum and for arresting the same with any one of the windows therein registering with an indicated result of the play, on the said result drum, a board rigid with the said casing having divisions thereon representing a football field, and a zone scale extending longitudinally with the casing window, said board having longitudinal numbered zones corresponding with the zone scale and cooperating with the zone scale to enable a die representing a football to be placed in a zone on the field indicated by the zone scale after the outer drum has been spun, said result indicating means on the inner drum being arranged in circumferential rows on the drum aligning with the numbers on the said zone-scale.

WILLIAM F. JAMISON.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 2,120,h59. June 11 1958.

WILLIAM F. JAMISON.

It'is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numb ered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 2, second column, line 57, after the words and colon "what I claim is:" insert the following claims 1. In a game apparatus, the combination of a support, a selector drum on said support having a plurality of indicated plays spaced circumferentially on the surface thereof and rotatable intoa set position to indicate a selected play, a result indicator consisting ofa result drum rotatable on said support and coaxial with the selector drum, said result drumhaving means for indicating a set of different results disposed in zones corresponding to, and aligned with, the different indicated plays, and hand-controlled chancemechanism havingmeans for indicating on the result drum any one of the results of the selected plays of a set, and having means for simultaneously screening the other results of that set from view. v

2. In a game apparatus, the combination of a support, a selector drum on said support having a plurality of indicated plays spaced circumferentially on the surface thereof and rotatable into a set position to indicate a selected play, a result indicator consisting ofa result drum rotatable on said support and having means for indicating a plurality of sets of different results disposed in zones corresponding to the different indicated plays, an outer drum rotatably mounted on said support and enveloping and screening the result drum from hill view, said outer drumhaving a plurality of windows through the wall thereof, means for retating the outer drum and for stopping the same in a chance position'with one of said windows aligning with one of the plays of the set corresponding to the selected play to indicate the result of the selected play; 7

5 a In a game apparatus the combination of a support, a selector drum rotatable on said support and having a plur ality of indicated pl ays spaced circumferentially on the surface thereof and capable of being set by hand in a position to indicate a selected play, a result indicator consisting of a result drum rotatable on said support and having means for indicating a plurality of sets of different, re sultsdisposed in zone s corresponding respectively to the different indicated plays, an outer drum rotatable on said support and enveloping and screening the result drum from full view, said outer drum having a plurality of windows through the wall thereof, a spring actuated impulse device with means for releasing the same by hand to revolve the outer drmn, and operating to stop the outer drum ina chance position with one of the saidwindows aligned with one of the play results of the set corresponding to the selected play.

h. -In a game apparatus, the combination of a support,

a selector drum rotatable on said support and having 'a plurality of indicated plays spaced circumferentially on the surface thereof and capable of-being set by hand in a position to indicate a selected play, a result indicator consisting ofa result drum rotatable on said support and having means for indicating a plurality/of sets of different results disposed in zones corresponding respectively to the different indicated plays, an outer drum rotatable on said support and enveloping and screening the result drum from full view, said outer drum having a plurality of windows through the wall thereof, a star-wheel rigid with the outer drum,a

spring actuated impulse device having a hand-controlledpart, and having means for engaging the star-wheel to spin the outer drum at will and stop the same at will with one of said windowsregistering with one of the result plays of the selected set.

5. In a game apparatus, the combination of a support, a selector drum rotatable on said support and having a plurality of indi cated plays spaced circumferentially on the surface thereof and capable of being set byhand in a position to indicate a'selected play, a result indicator consisting of a result drum rotatable on said support and having means for indicating a plurality of sets of different results" disposed in zones corresponding respectively to the different indicated plays an outer drum rotatable on said support and enveloping and screening the result drum from full view, said outer drum having a plurality of windows through the wall thereof, a star-wheel rigid with the outer drum, a pivoted kicker pawl for engaging between the points of the starwheel, a spring urging the kicker pawl ,in a direction to spin the star-wheel and the outer drum, and hand-operated means for normally holding the kicker pawl in a fixed position between the points of the star-wheel, and enabling the spinning drum to be stopped with one of the said win-- dows registering with one of the plays of the selected set.

' 6. In a game apparatus, the combination of 'a support, a selector drum rotatably mounted on said support and having a plurality of indicated plays spaced circumferentially on the surface thereof, capable of-being set in a position to indicatea selected play, a result indicator consisting of a result drum rotatably mounted on said support and having means for indicating a plurality of sets of different results disposed in zones corresponding respectively to the different indicated plays, an outer drum rotatably mounted on said support and enveloping and screening the result drum from full view, said outer having a plurality of windows through'the wall thereof, means for rotating the outer drum I v and for stopping the same ina chance position with one of i said windows aligning with one of the plays of the set corresponding to the selected play; a casing enclosing the said drums, and havingawindow through the wall thereof for exposing. the outer drum and also the inner drum through the said window of the outer drum.

7. In a game apparatus, the combination of a support, a selectordrumrotatably mounted on said support and having a plurality Qf indicated plays spaced circmziferentially on the surface thereof capable of being set in a position to 7 indicate a selected play, aresult indicator consisting of a result drum rotatably mounted on said support andhaving means for indicatinga plurality of different results disposed in'zones corresponding respectively to the different indicated plays, an outer drum rotatably mounted'on said support and enveloping and screeningthe result drum from full view, said outer drum having a plurality of windows through the wall thereof, means for rotating the outer drum and for stopping the same in a chance position with one of said windows aligning with one of the plays of the set corresponding to the selected play, a casing enclosing the said drums, and having a window through the wall thereof for exposing the outer drum and also the inner drum through the said window of the outer drum, a board rigid with said casing having longitudinal divisions representing a football field, and dividing the same transversely into numbered zones, said window in said casing havinga series of num.

bers with which the windows in the outer drum will align in positions of rest of the outer drum, said numbers indicating the ball position on thefield, the said zones of the field corresponding to the said numbers along the window of the casing.

8. In a game apparatus, the combination'of a support; a selectordrumrotatably mounted on said support and having a plurality of indicated plays spaced circumferentially on the surface thereof capable of being set in' a position to indicate a selected play,-ar'esult indicator consisting of a result drum rotatably mounted on said support and having means for indicating a plurality of sets of different results disposed in zones corresponding to the different indicated plays, an outer drum rotatably mounted on said support and enveloping and screening the result drum from full view said outer drum having a plurality of windows-through the wall thereof, means for rotating the outer drum and for stopping the same ina chance position with one of said windows align ing with one of the plays of the set corresponding to the selected play, a casing enclosing the said drums and having a window through the wall thereof for exposing the outer drum and also the result drum through the said window of the outer drum, and a board rigid with said casing having divisions representingafootball fieldt'and dividing the same longitudinally into numbered zones, the said window insaid casing having numbers corresponding to the said zones with which the windows inthe inner drun will align in positions of rest" of the inner drum, said numbers indicating the ball position on the field. 7

9. In a game apparatus for playing a football game, the

combination ofa substantially cylindrical casing having a longitudinally extending window therein with a zone scale extending longitudinally with said window ;'a selector drum and a result drum supported for rotation at will within the said casing said selector drum having means on the periphery thereof for indicating different plays to be sele cted by the player, said result drum having a plurality of sets of means for indicating results of a-play including losses or gains for the player, means for yieldingly holding the selector drum and the result drum in different positions so that the indicating means for the results of different plays register with the said window in the casing, an outer drum rotatably supported in said casing and enveloping the result drum and having a plurality of windows therein for registering with the different result indicating means on the result drum, means for spinning the outer drum and for arresting the same with any a one of the windows thereinregistering with an indicated re-* sult of the play, on the said result drum.

10. In a game apparatus for playing a football game, the combination ofa substantially cylindrical casing having a longitudinally extending window therein with a zone scale extending longitudinally with said window, a selector drum and aresult drum mounted for rotation at will within the said casing, said selector drum having-means on the periphery thereof for indicating different plays to be se i lected by the player, said result drum .having a plurality of sets of means for indicating results of a play including losses or gains for the player, means for yieldingly holding the selector drum and theresult drum in different positions so that the indicating meansfor the results of different plays register withthe said window in the casing, an outer drum enveloping the result drum and having -ap1urality of windows therein for registering with the different result indicating means on the result drum, and means for spinning the outer drum and for arresting the same with any one of the windows therein registering with an indicated result of the play, on the said result drum.

same page and column, line 58, before "In" insert the 'numeral and period 11.; and in the heading to the printed specification, line 6, for l Claim" read 11 Claims; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in 3 the Patent Office. Signed and sealed this 15th day of September, A. D. 1958.

Henry Van Arsdale (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

